Justin POVSeeing her on her knees before me was difficult.She smelled of that damn rogue and I needed it to go away, I needed to claim her in my aura and aroma. It was impossible not to see the dismay and the shame on her features, though.“Get up,” I growled at last, trembling to hold back my Lycan from pinning her to the ground and fucking her into next week. “Come here, mate.”I held her hand as she stood, her eyes wide and wet and violated. She wiped her pink, raw eyes and blinked back some composure, though I could tell it was hard for her to do so.“Follow me,” I breathed.I steadily, and wearily, led my mate outside the arena. There was still an edge of a buzz, of action that had been left over from the event today. I couldn’t believe how another harmless day of activity and bonding with this new pack of ours had led to such quick and sure disaster.“Justin, please, I—” she began to whimper.One look from my Lycan and she knew to settle down. I couldn’t let the whole pack see
Helen POVI knelt by his feet, watching as he crumbled into a chair by the fireplace. I hadn’t even thought to find a robe, or to slip into my dress from earlier as it reeked of William’s scent still.I leaned my clean, warm cheek against my Lycan mate’s knee and watched him turn over the envelope carefully. He didn’t want to open, that was obvious, but my curiosity was certainly pricked.“Are you going to read it?” I asked solemnly. “It could be important.”My mate looked over me, kneeling at his side, and I could see a hint of a grin threatening his lips. He watched over me in this favorable position, though there wasn’t much sexual tension between us sense he fought his Lycan from penetrating me in the arena after William kissed me.I was sure Justin would make his aura and scent over me known, but he withheld, and that was surprising. He must not have enjoyed hearing William call me a bed slave…I didn’t enjoy that at all.“Are you… Are you mad at me, Justin?”“For what?” he growl
Helen POVI locked myself into the library, a place I have been many times before.Justin and I came here last in high hopes of clearing my name against, well, everyone and everything. It didn’t work of course, but we loved each other more through the tribulations.I sat back at the table and chairs in the corner of the library, shifting through the mess of books left on the floor and the ones still left on shelves that had been tipped against each other and crooked on the walls. I had pulled any book on old folklore and hoped it would mention the huntsman.I shifted through the first few books in front of me, yawning in tire as they all came up empty on this mysterious figure mentioned by my mate. It was getting late and the ceremonial dinner for tonight would be happening soon.Justin hadn’t ripped through the estate yet in search for me, thankfully, and I feared that he would find me and drag me out to dinner before I could even find out what they were talking about.“Where are you
Helen POVI could feel my heart rattling in my chest, seizing in pain over what was happening to me again. The first time it happened, it hurt so bad that I went to the bar to get drunk, but then I ended up finding Justin soon after.Hearing it now ached me more now than before.I shuffled off Justin’s lap, heaving to breathe, the rejection my first mate lead onto me so long ago was being played through speakers somewhere, but it was as though Scott was standing there, saying the words again verbatim.“Find the source and eradicate it,” Justin barked to his warriors.I doubled over on the ground, weak and shivering. The rejection in my mind was the best thing for me, and I was happy when I found Justin because he was such a better mate anyways. Before I betrayed him, he loved me more than anything in the world.But this was a different kind of pain.Hearing that rejection brought back the chills and heat and shock of being betrayed by my mate. The man I loved who married my sister, an
Helen POVI had washed myself of the blood, cleaned the room that had gone through an unforeseen fight earlier tonight. Justin was with Randy still, so I shifted through the closet until I could find something sexy to wear.It was only Justin’s clothes, which made sense, but I did find some dresses he must have had brought here for me to wear through the various celebratory events. I couldn’t see myself wearing nay of those hideous gowns but did find a bright red and lace thong and bra.I slipped into the dazzling, ruby set and stood in the middle of the room, anxiously awaiting my mate. The marks on my shoulders hurt from the last few days but I knew they would feel so much better soon.So would my heart. And my wolf. And my mate.I could hear Justin coming from down the hall, his long, tired, and heavy steps echoing through my eardrums on repeat.When he came around the doorway, his head was down, his eyes on the floor, until he spotted nothing but my bare feet and rose his focus up
Helen POVI collapsed in the shower my legs tired and weary. I coughed, finally free of my mates bruises kisses. He wasn’t kidding when he said we weren’t done, and I can’t determine what lead a little bit of sex meant to heal me, into hours of endless passion.I leaned on the wall to keep upright but exhaustion was taking over.Justin lathered himself up with more soap, doing the same to me after we both drowned ourselves in come and sweat.“You are amazing, Helen,” he breathed, kneeling beside me under the hot, raining shower water. “So, very amazing. Do you feel better, baby?”I nodded, exasperated and out of breath. “Yes, Alpha. I—I can’t catch—catch my breath.”He pet my hair back, damp and warm with the clean shower water and hints of soap still in my scalp. Justin kneaded it into my long hair, washing it thoroughly, as though I hadn’t done it well enough earlier.“You can go to bed, mate. You’ll need your rest. Tomorrow is the last day of celebration. It’s also the full moon.”
Helen POV“Of course, Russo. I won’t do that to my mate, to the other wolves, wizards—and you, of course.”“Thank you, little Luna,” he hummed, yanking me into his chest and throwing his arms around me. “You’re a good mate, and a great woman, little wolf.”Light creaking of the floorboards drew my attention from our embrace and I pulled away from Russo, finding myself crying as well. Justin and Randy stood in the doorway, my mate marking a look of hatred against his eyes and pursed lips.“Justin,” I grunted, peeling from Russo’s side and rushing to my mate.I snuck my arms around his sides and to my surprise, he accepted them, his arm resting on my shoulder and his hand tangling in my hair. Justin tipped his nose down, inhaling a long draw of an inhale.“You smell like blood, mate,” Justin snarled, his attention flickering up to Russo for an accusatory second. I gripped him tighter and he found the towel with my blood on it second. “Why were you bleeding, Helen?”I pulled away, my hea
Helen POVI buzzed in excitement. I wanted to carry my mate’s pups and hearing last night that it would become reality—it thrilled me to no end. I hardly slept at all in the hot, excited anticipation.I slipped into a comfy, flattering dress that fell to my thighs. I knew I had all day to prepare for tonight and seducing a Lycan, but I also knew that no matter what, I would have to win that creature’s trust.Randy was right.If the Lycan still hates me, I won’t get anywhere in mating with him.I left the room at last and stalked down the long, familiar hallways of this massive estate. My fingers ran through my necklace, toying with the rings my grandmother gave me. I never got the chance to tell Justin about what my father said about the rings, but I wanted to.It was up there with a lot of other things I wanted and needed to tell my mate. I followed his scent outside the house but stopped short, seeing a pair of burly warriors outside the front doors.One of them moved into my way, s